Summary
- LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham gets weird by embracing cosmic DC universe, space wars, and bizarre characters.
- DC Universe Online allows gamers to become superheroes in chaotic, superhero-filled cities like Gotham.
- Superman 64 is infamously bizarre for its terrible flying controls and the majority of the game involving flying through rings.
Despite the mainstream acceptance of comic book worlds, it's easy to forget that a lot of comic books are pretty weird and bizarre. In a decades-old art form, there's inevitably going to be some weirdness that forms part of the charm.
However, that bizarreness also works its way into video game adaptations. Some of these games are bizarre for the worlds they represent, some for how they choose to tackle their subject matter, and some are just bizarrely terrible. Here are some of the strangest games to come out of the world of DC Comics.
DC: 13 Strongest Versions Of Superman, Ranked
Every version of Superman is powerful, but even with that in mind, these versions of the Man of Steel are a cut above the rest.
7 LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
The Plastic Crusader
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Cartoon Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The LEGO games have long been known for the cheeky sense of humor that comes out of their every pore, no matter the subject matter they're working with. As a love letter to the Batman world, and the DC universe in general, the excellent LEGO Batman games love to get weird. By the time of this third entry, things had gotten truly bizarre.
The game fully does away with Gotham as the sole setting and embraces the cosmic weirdness of the DC universe. There are space wars, aliens, giant constructs, and the most obscure DC characters ever conceived. For gamers looking for a walk on the weird side of DC, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is a great place to start.
6 DC Universe Online
Worldwide Superhero Madness
DC Universe Online
- Released
- January 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
One of the longest-lived fantasies for any comic book fan is to become a superhero, or to design their own superhero and tell their own stories with them. In 2011, that dream became reality with the scrappy but beloved MMO DC Universe Online, which did its best to make that dream become a reality. Even better, it's a great entry point for newcomers to the MMO world.
As MMOs demand a lot of content, the developers behind DC Universe Online looked to every corner of the DC universe for inspiration, bringing in the wacky, weird, and bizarre to keep things fresh. If nothing else, it's really strange to see cities like Gotham and Metropolis overrun with superheroes causing absolute chaos with no civilians in sight.
5 The Wolf Among Us
Fairytales Made Real
The Wolf Among Us
- Released
- October 14, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Tobacco
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
The comic book world is well known for taking weird concepts and taking them very seriously, often creating some of the best stories ever made. So it goes with the popular Fables series, which takes the idea that fairytale characters are real, and live alongside us in their own cities and neighborhoods.
The Wolf Among Us 2 Gets Encouraging Update
The Wolf Among Us fans get another promising glimpse at the forthcoming sequel, which has been in development for quite some time.
In The Wolf Among Us, players take the role of Bigby Wolf. Yes, the big bad wolf himself. Although that sounds bizarre, and Snow White being the leading femme fatale in the noir-inspired story makes it all the weirder; it's surprising how well the world works. It's an absolute must-play for gamers looking to indulge in the glory days of Telltale Games.
4 Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
The Rogues Gallery Take The Spotlight
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
- Released
- February 2, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
To say expectations were high for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is an understatement, and there's a lot of sympathy for the pressure Rocksteady must have been feeling. Regardless, it's a fair statement to say that the game was an abject failure on almost every front. It went down as one of the worst launches of 2024, even if it featured returning favorites from the Arkhamverse.
What's bizarre is how the game ever came to be in the first place. For a studio so renowned for their brilliant Batman games, why was a looter-shooter format chosen? Why the Suicide Squad, and not the Superman game many have been clamoring for? Why this story? The whole project is bizarre from top to bottom.
3 Batman Begins
The Movie Tie-In Strangeness
Batman Begins
- Released
- June 14, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Eurocom
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Stealth
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PS2, Xbox (Original)
As the 2000s stretched on, the dominance of the movie tie-in game was beginning to show its age, and fewer were being released as the years went on. Many don't even know that Christopher Nolan's first entry into his Batman series, Batman Begins, got its own video game. What's even more surprising is that it's weirdly good.
8 Most Challenging Batman Games, Ranked
Superhero games have had their ups and downs over the years, with many flops and memorable successes. Fans may struggle with loving the idea that they
Though it has aged pretty badly in some ways, the graphics are great, and the ambition is admirable, even pre-empting the greatness of Batman: Arkham Asylum. The linear action, the clunky gameplay systems, and a Burnout-inspired Batmobile sections don't cohere into a game worth recommending, but it's undeniably bizarre, and maybe even good. Maybe one day, this game will get a long-awaited critical reappraisal.
2 Batman: The Video Game
16 Bit Bonanza
Batman: The Video Game
- Released
- December 22, 1989
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sunsoft
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Arcade, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16
Unlike the Batman Begins game, Batman: The Video Game was released in the heyday of movie tie-in games. This NES cult classic is remembered as one of the best-looking for the time, with genuinely wonderful graphical fidelity.
However, it is also remembered as being one of the most bizarrely difficult games ever made. It gives Battletoads and Ninja Gaiden a run for their money. The game will have players wondering who in their right mind designed some of the late-game jumping puzzles. It is one of those games that makes players wonder whether gamers were truly made of sterner stuff back in the 80s.
1 Superman 64
Bizarrely Bad
Superman: The New Superman Adventures
- Released
- May 29, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Titus Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 64
Superman 64 barely requires any introduction, considering the fearsome reputation it has garnered in the gaming world. Widely considered one of the worst games ever made, Superman 64 is an absolute trainwreck from start to finish, immortalized by the mind-boggling choice for the majority of the game to consist of flying through rings in a smog-ridden city.
Even speedrunners have trouble with the bizarre flying controls for Superman himself, and the game's strange design choices are an enigma that have lasted to the modern day. It's easily one of the most difficult Superman games ever made. Let's hope that if another Superman game does arrive, it'll be a lot better than this bizarre mess.
10 Strongest Evil Teams In DC Comics, Ranked
With so many superhero teams out there, it's only fair that the bad guys get to join forces too.